What Was Everyone Watching?
Looking at the Nielsen data for the last 70 years, we've produced a ranking of the top three most watched shows in primetime for every television season—starting in 1950 and working our way through to 2019.
1950
Texaco Star Theater: 61.6
Fireside Theatre: 52.6
The Philco Television Playhouse: 45.3
NBC, Texaco Star Theater (1948 - 1956)
1951
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts: 53.8
Texaco Star Theater: 52.0
I Love Lucy: 50.9
CBS, Talent Scouts (1948 - 1958)
1952
I Love Lucy: 67.3
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts: 54.7
Arthur Godfrey and His Friends: 47.1
Desilu, I love Lucy (1951 - 1957)
1953
I Love Lucy: 58.8
Dragnet: 53.2
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts: 43.6
You Bet Your Life: 43.6
FilmCraft Productions, You Bet Your Life (1950 - 1961)
1954
I Love Lucy: 49.3
The Jackie Gleason Show: 42.4
Dragnet: 42.1
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
1955
The $64,000 Question: 47.5
I Love Lucy: 46.1
The Ed Sullivan Show: 39.5
1956
I Love Lucy: 43.7
The Ed Sullivan Show: 38.4
General Electric Theater: 36.9
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
1957
Gunsmoke: 43.1
The Danny Thomas Show: 35.3
Tales of Wells Fargo: 35.2
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
1958
Gunsmoke: 39.6
Wagon Train: 36.1
Have Gun – Will Travel: 34.3
NBC Television, Wikimedia Commons
1959
Gunsmoke: 40.3
Wagon Train: 38.4
Have Gun – Will Travel: 34.7
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
1960
Gunsmoke: 37.3
Wagon Train: 34.2
Have Gun – Will Travel: 30.9
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
1961
Wagon Train: 32.1
Bonanza: 30.0
Gunsmoke: 28.3
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1962
The Beverly Hillbillies: 36.0
Candid Camera: 31.1
The Red Skelton Show: 31.1
1963
The Beverly Hillbillies: 39.1
Bonanza: 36.9
The Dick Van Dyke Show: 33.3
1964
Bonanza: 36.3
Bewitched: 31.0
Gomer Pyle, U.S. M.C.
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1965
Bonanza: 31.8
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: 27.8
The Lucy Show: 27.7
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
1966
Bonanza: 29.1
The Red Skelton Hour: 28.2
The Andy Griffith Show: 27.4
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
1967
The Andy Griffith Show: 27.6
The Lucy Show: 27.0
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: 25.6
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
1968
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In: 31.8
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: 27.2
Bonanza: 26.6
Romart Inc., Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967 - 1973)
1969
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In: 26.3
Gunsmoke: 25.9
Bonanza: 24.8
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1970
Marcus Welby, M. D.
The Flip Wilson Show: 27.9
Here's Lucy: 26.1
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1971
All in the Family: 34.0
The Flip Wilson Show: 28.2
Marcus Welby, M.D.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
1972
All in the Family: 33.3
Sanford and Son: 27.6
Hawaii Five-O: 25.2
Tandem Productions, Sanford and Son (1972 - 1978)
1973
All in the Family: 31.2
The Waltons: 28.1
Sanford and Son: 27.5
Lorimar Television, The Waltons (1972 - 1981)
1974
All in the Family: 30.2
Sanford and Son: 29.6
Chico and the Man: 28.5
Wolper Productions, Chico and the Man (1974 - 1978)
1975
All in the Family: 30.1
Rich Man, Poor Man: 28.0
Laverne & Shirley: 27.5
Tandem Productions, All in the Family (1971 - 1979)
1976
Happy Days: 31.5
Laverne & Shirley: 30.9
ABC Monday Night Movie: 26.0
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
1977
Laverne & Shirley:
Happy Days: 31.4
Three's Company: 28.3
Paramount Television, Laverne & Shirley (1976 - 1983)
1978
Laverne & Shirley: 30.5
Three's Company: 30.3
Mork & Mindy: 28.6
Happy Days: 28.6
DLT Entertainment, Three's Company (1976 - 1984)
1979
60 Minutes: 28.4
Three's Company: 26.3
That's Incredible!: 25.8
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
1980
Dallas: 34.5
The Dukes of Hazzard: 27.3
60 Minutes: 27.0
Lorimar Productions, Dallas (1978 - 1991)
1981
Dallas: 28.4
60 Minutes: 27.7
The Jeffersons: 23.4
Lorimar Productions, Dallas (1978 - 1991)
1982
60 Minutes: 25.5
Dallas: 24.6
M*A*S*H: 22.6
Magnum, P.I.: 22.6
1983
Dallas: 25.7
60 Minutes: 24.2
Dynasty: 24.1
Aaron Spelling Productions, Dynasty (1981 - 1989)
1984
Dynasty: 25.0
Dallas: 24.7
The Cosby Show: 24.2
Aaron Spelling Productions, Dynasty (1981 - 1989)
1985
The Cosby Show: 33.7
Family Ties: 30.0
Murder, She Wrote: 25.3
Carsey-Werner Company, The Cosby Show (1984 - 1992)
1986
The Cosby Show: 34.9
Family Ties: 32.7
Cheers: 27.2
Paramount Television, Family Ties (1982 - 1989)
1987
The Cosby Show: 27.8
A Different World: 25.0
Cheers: 23.4
Carsey-Werner Company, A Different World (1987 - 1993)
1988
The Cosby Show: 25.6
Roseanne: 23.8
A Different World: 23.0
Carsey-Werner Company, The Cosby Show (1984 - 1992)
1989
The Cosby Show: 23.1
Roseanne: 23.1
Cheers: 22.7
Wind Dancer Productions, Roseanne (1988 - 2018)
1990
Cheers: 21.3
60 Minutes: 20.6
Roseanne: 18.1
Paramount Television, Cheers (1982 - 1993)
1991
60 Minutes: 21.9
Roseanne: 19.9
Murphy Brown: 18.6
Warner Bros. Television, Murphy Brown (1988 - 2018)
1992
60 Minutes: 21.9
Roseanne: 20.7
Home Improvement: 19.4
Wind Dancer Productions, Home Improvement (1991 - 1999)
1993
60 Minutes: 20.9
Home Improvement: 20.4
Seinfeld: 19.4
West-Shapiro, Seinfeld (1989 - 1998)
1994
Seinfeld: 20.6
ER: 20.0
Home Improvement: 19.5
West-Shapiro, Seinfeld (1989 - 1998)
1995
ER: 22.0
Seinfeld: 21.2
Friends: 18.7
Warner Bros. Television, Friends (1994 - 2004)
1996
ER: 21.2
Seinfeld: 20.5
Suddenly Susan: 17.0
Amblin Television, ER (1994 - 2009)
1997
Seinfeld: 34.1
ER: 30.2
Veronica's Closet: 24.4
Amblin Television, ER (1994 - 2009)
1998
ER: 17.8
Friends: 15.7
Frasier: 15.6
Warner Bros. Television, Friends (1994 - 2004)
1999
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire — Tuesday: 18.6
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire — Thursday: 17.5
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire — Sunday: 17.1
2000
Survivor: 17.4
ER: 15.0
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire — Wednesday: 13.7
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2001
Friends: 15.0
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: 14.5
ER: 14.2
Warner Bros. Television, Friends (1994 - 2004)
2002
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Friends: 13.9
Joe Millionaire: 13.3
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2003
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
American Idol — Tuesday: 14.9
American Idol — Wednesday: 14.1
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2004
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
American Idol — Tuesday: 15.7
American Idol — Wednesday: 15.3
Crime Scene Investigation (2000 - 2015)" data-credit-url="https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?companies=co0054762" data-rel-no-follow="No" data-alt-text="A screenshot of the TV show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" data-description="A screenshot of the TV show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation showing two of the characters showing up at someone's doorstep". data-title="A screenshot of the TV show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation showing two of the characters showing up at someone's doorstep". class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="A screenshot of the TV show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation">Alliance Atlantis, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000 - 2015)
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2005
American Idol — Tuesday: 17.6
American Idol — Wednesday: 17.2
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: 15.6
Gary Todd, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
2006
American Idol — Wednesday: 17.3
American Idol — Tuesday: 16.8
Dancing with the Stars — Monday: 12.7
Dancing with the Stars — Tuesday: 12.7
Dancing with the Stars — Wednesday: 12.7
BBC Studios, Dancing with the Stars (2005 - )
2007
American Idol — Tuesday: 16.1
American Idol — Wednesday: 15.9
Dancing with the Stars — Monday: 14.0
Fremantle Media, American Idol (2002 - )
2008
American Idol — Wednesday: 15.1
American Idol — Tuesday: 14.6
Dancing with the Stars — Monday: 12.9
Fremantle Media, American Idol (2002 - )
2009
American Idol — Tuesday: 13.7
American Idol — Wednesday: 13.3
Dancing with the Stars: 12.6
2010
American Idol — Wednesday: 14.5
Dancing with the Stars: 13.8
American Idol — Thursday: 13.4
BBC Studios, Dancing with the Stars (2005 - )
2011
Sunday Night Football: 12.4
NCIS: 12.3
Dancing with the Stars: 12.0
NBC Sports, Sunday Night Football (2006 - )
2012
NCIS: 13.5
Sunday Night Football: 12.4
The Big Bang Theory: 11.6
2013
Sunday Night Football: 12.6
NCIS: 12.6
The Big Bang Theory: 12.3
NBC Sports, Sunday Night Football (2006 - )
2014
Sunday Night Football: 12.3
The Big Bang Theory: 11.6
NCIS: 11.6
NBC Sports, Sunday Night Football (2006 - )
2015
NCIS: 12.8
Sunday Night Football: 12.6
The Big Bang Theory: 12.5
2016
The Big Bang Theory: 11.5
NCIS: 11.4
Sunday Night Football: 11.1
Chuck Lorre Productions, The Big Bang Theory (2007 - 2019)
2017
The Big Bang Theory: 11.1
NCIS: 10.3
Sunday Night Football: 10.3
Chuck Lorre Productions, The Big Bang Theory (2007 - 2019)
2018
Sunday Night Football: 10.9
The Big Bang Theory: 10.6
NCIS: 9.6
Chuck Lorre Productions, The Big Bang Theory (2007 - 2019)
2019
Sunday Night Football: 20.1
NCIS: 15.3
Thursday Night Football (Fox): 15.0
NBC Sports, Sunday Night Football (2006 - )
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